Legendary musician Sir Paul McCartney has boycotted China in response to a preview of BBC news footage that was filmed undercover at a fur market in Guangzhou, China. The footage, some of which is to air during BBC’s Six O’Clock News at 18:00 GMT on November 28, 2005, shows animals (particularly dogs and cats) being thrown from the top of buses and being dropped into boiling water. McCartney’s wife, Heather, also watched the footage and alleged that some footage she had seen clearly showed that the animals were alive when they were skinned. The footage, which was filmed by an investigator connected to the animal rights group PETA, shows cats squirming in a bag before being thrown into boiling water, and then skinned in a laundrette drier-like machine.

McCartney slammed the practices, saying, “It’s like something out of the Dark Ages. And they seem to get a kick out of it. They’re just sick, sick people,” referring to the apparent smiles and laughter of the workers handling the animals as they are killed.

He and his wife called for a boycott of Chinese goods, adding that this was unacceptable behaviour from the nation to host the next Olympics.

However, the Chinese Ambassador to London’s spokesperson said that China is not to blame. “The fur trade mostly feeds markets in the US and Europe. This fur is not consumed in China. So the Americans and Europeans should accept the blame.”